Debs at War : 1939-1945

Description

Pre-war debutantes were members of the most protected, not to say isolated, stratum of 20th-century society: the young (17-20) unmarried daughters of the British upper classes. For most of them, the war changed all that for ever. It meant independence and the shock of the new, and daily exposure to customs and attitudes that must have seemed completely alien to them. This book will record, in their own voices where possible, the extraordinary diversity of challenges, shocks and responsibilities they faced - as chauffeurs, couriers, ambulance-drivers, nurses, pilots, spies, decoders, factory workers, farmers, land girls, as well as in the Women's Services. How much did class barriers really come down? Did they stick with their own sort? And what about fun and love in wartime - did love cross the class barriers? The text for this audiobook is abridged but what makes it unique and brings it to life is the fact that we have used the actual recorded interviews conducted by Anne and incorporated them throughout this fascinating account about 'debs' in the British upper classes in WW11.show more

About Anne De Courcy

Anne de Courcy is a well-known writer and journalist. In the 1970s she was Woman's Editor on the London Evening News; in the 1980s she was a regular feature-writer for the Evening Standard; she joined the Daily Mail in 1992 where she has done interviews, historical features and book reviews, as well as editing a page on readers' dilemmas. She has written eight books, including a biography of Diana Mosley to appear after the subject's lifetime.show more